Improvement in revolving fire-arms



D. v S M ITH.

Revolving Fire Arm.

Paten ted'May n, 1875-.

"N'fimmses,

DEXTER SMITH, 'OF SPRINGFIELD,

MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 63,032 dated May 11,1875; application filed J annary 21, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DEXTER SMITH, of Springfield, in the State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in RevolvingFire-Arms; and that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of i the same.

The object of this invention is to extract all the shells at once fromthe cylinder after the discharge; and to this end my invention consistsofa disk or plate arranged at the rear end of the cylinder, and providedwith slides or pins extending into the cylinder, upon which the latteris supported and guided as it is moved toward and-from-the plate;-and-the plate or disk is of the same general diameter as the cylinder,with a shoulder around its periphery, and with recesses thereincorresponding in size to the outer half of the several chambers in thecylinder.

The recoil-plate is provided with one or more grooves, extending outwardfrom a point near the rear of the center-pin, in each of which operatesahook or catch, which is held into its position by a spring, but which ismoved outward by a cam on the hammer, so that when the cylinder is inplace in the frame the catches are each made to spring inward and graspthe disk at its peripheral shoulder; and when the barrel is unclaspedfrom the frame, and the cylinder pulled forward, the disk is heldstationary b T the catches, and the shells all extracted from thechambers of the cylinder at once. The hammer being then thrown back, thecam thereon releases the catches,

and both the cylinder and extractor are re-.

moved for loading.

In order that the invention may be fully understood I will proceed todescribe it, having reference to the several figures shown in -theaccompanying drawing and the letters marked thereon.

Figure l is a side view of a revolving pistol having my inventionapplied thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal longitudinal section at line H.Fig. 3 is a side view of the cylinder with the extractor plate or diskremoved. Fig. 4 is a front view of the extractor-plate. Fig. 5 is a sideview of the cylinder with the extractor-plate attached and shown inconnection with the catch or hook. Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinalsection through therecoili plate and shank of the catch. Fig. 7 is aside view of the hammer, showing the cam thereon; and Fig. 8 is a frontview of the same.

*1 is the cylinder, provided with the central projection G at the rearend, which extends outward from the axis of the cylinder to a pointabout midway the diameter of the several chambers, and the centralextended part. :12 may have the usual crown-teeth provided, by which togive the rotary movement to the cylinder by the cocking of the hammer.The extractor-plate is shown in Fig. 4, ip which the central part isremoved and the space 00- cupied bytheprojectingpartfi-mt'stheucylinder, the recesses at corresponding with the outerhalf of the chambers x of the and the pins f are made fast to theextractorplate, and extend through, or partially through, the cylinder,serving as a support or guide upon which the cylinder slides to and fro.A portion of one or all of'the pins may be flattened, as shown at h inFig. 2, and a small. pin, g, inserted in the cylinder, to limit themovement of the cylinder.

The recoil-plate F (shown in Fig. cessed at F in front, to receive therear end of the cylinder, or so much thereof as is .occupied by theextractor-plate E and a groove, 0, is made in the recoil-plate F at therear side, which preferably is made dovetailed in its cross-section,into which is fitted, to slide freely, the shank c of the catch 0, andthe latter extends forward, being of the same general form as thesection of the recessed recoi plate F, and its front end is providedwith the hook projection e, which engages with the peripheral shoulder cof the extractor-plate.

The inner end of the shank c of the catch engages with a spring, m,secured. inside the frame in any proper manner; by means of which thecatches c are held against the peripheral shoulder c of theextractor-plate. cam, 0, is made upon the lower front side of thehammer-one on each side, iftwo catches are used-which operates to forceeach catch outward, to disengage it from the shoulder 0, whenever thehammer D is .ocked or drawn back.

It may befound in practice that pile catch, 0, may be quitg'; suflicientto hold the extractorcylinder;

6) is replate while the shells are being drawn out, but whether onecatch or more is used,'theoperation is quite the same, and should morethan two catches be used the same number of cams-0' may be arranged uponthe hammer concentric with the pivot-hole-l to operate the catches.-

The operation of my invention is as follows: The chambers of .thecylinder may be loaded withcartridges on removing the cylinder in,

theiisnal way by unclasping the clasp a, and

- turning the barrel upward, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, theshells being inserted into the extractor-plate F and cylinder, with theflange of the shells against the extractorplate, as shown in Fig. 5. Thecylinder is then placed upon the center-pin I, and pressed back againstthe-recoil-plate, in which operation the ends-e of the catches a move inforward of theperipheral shoulder c. This part of the operationis's'omewhat facilitated by making the front part of said ends 0beveled. The barrel B is then secured to the frame A by the clasp a, andthe arm may then be discharged.

After the discharge the barrel is turned upward again, as shown indotted lines in Fig. l, and the cylinder being then pulled forward, theextractor is held stationary by the catchesq, and the shells areextracted from the chamhers, and are free to drop out. The hammer beingthen drawn back, the cams o thereon force the catches c outward, andbeing thus disengaged from the peripheral shoulder, the extractor andcylinder may be drawn forward and oil the center-pin I, and the chambersagain loaded with cartridges, and the cylinder is then replaced asbefore. The catches 0, in-' stead of being arranged on the outside ofthe recoil-plate, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, may be arranged inside, sothat they may not be seen, in which case dirt will be less liable to getinto the working parts. Instead of the spring m, to cause the catch 0 tomove inward, the

projection-n on the inner end of the shank 0 may move in an inclined oroblique groove made in'the front edge of the hammer, in which case thecatch cwill be moved both in and out by the movement of the hammeralone, in drawing it back and letting it down again. c Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new is cylinder is moved forwardlongitudinally to extract the shells, and operated by the movements ofthe hammer, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the extractor-plateE, provided with aperipheralshoulder, e, the cylinder E, and the recessed recoil-plate I", toreceivesaid extractor-plate, substantially as described.

DEXTER SMITH.

Witnesses:

T. A. CURTIS, 0. E. BUCKLAND.

